The investment arm of specialist AV, media and security distributor Midwich Group, Midwich Ignite is focused on looking for “pre-seed and seed rounds where we can use our network and leverage as Midwich, and help companies to grow.”

Regarding the investment challenges and opportunities he expects to discuss in the session, Kemanes highlights what he calls “a huge gap in the market. If you look at how a VC would typically operate, they tend to take big bets on new companies. But you don’t see much of that happening in AV, while a lot of companies [in that space] are not necessarily willing to open up their R&D side to help [secure investment]. So what you see at the moment is that many newer players cannot get any funding unless they’re going through private equity or are bootstrapping” – the term used to describe self-starting approaches to growth, such as the use of early revenues, smaller loans or personal savings.

Consequently, Midwich Ignite is “working closely with some of the vendors in the space” – for instance by helping them to connect with other vendors and trial products extensively before they go to market. Such processes “can help define a company, hone in on what is needed on the product side, and build out their network,” notes Kemanes.

Joining him to offer their insights on the ‘Reflections from the Money-side’ panel will be Daniel Sennheiser, chairman of the board of directors at Sennheiser; Harry Kalmanowicz, managing director – mergers & acquisitions at Lincoln International; and Alex Tortosa, senior manager, Plug and Play Tech Center.

Debuting at ISE 2025, the ISE Investor Forum has been established to unite the global investment community with the innovators shaping the future of the professional AV and systems integration industry. Produced in association with non-profit association Tech Barcelona, the exclusive morning event provides a platform for venture capitalists, private equity and corporate investment leaders, and industry figures to obtain insight into the latest market trends, investment opportunities and innovation in the sector.

Among other sessions, this year’s Investor Forum will also include an examination of growth potential and investment hotspots from Sean Wargo, principal at Apogee Insight; insights into public funding opportunities from experts including Javier Arias, director of business creation, EIT Culture & Creativity; and a session featuring reflections from those at the ‘innovation frontline’, including Bose Professional CEO John Maier, NetSpeak founder and CEO Erik DeGiorgi; Turtle AV co-founder and co-CEO Eamon Drew; and Tomorrowland strategic advisor Ruben Evans.

For more information on the schedule of the ISE Investor Forum, and to purchase individual Forum tickets or all-conference passes, please visit the Investor Forum webpage.